23rd session of the Conference of the Parties (COP 23) to the UN Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) in Bonn, Germany: SIDE EVENTS with WBGU

The momentum of urbanization and its impacts are so massive that we must face up to this trend. The success or failure of the Great Transformation to sustainability will be decided in the cities. Sabine Schlacke will present recommendations from the WBGU report „Humanity on the move – Unlocking the transformative power of cities“.

Carbon pricing, in the form of carbon taxes and cap & trade schemes, is becoming a pillar of climate policy around the world. Recently it has been argued that it could also help to overcome the cooperation problem at the global level. At the same time, concerns about effectiveness, persistently low prices, interactions with other instruments and distributional effects continue to grow. The session aims at giving an interdisciplinary perspective on the strength and limits of carbon pricing in the pursuit of a low-carbon and inclusive future.

Science and the IPCC in particular have identified the problem of climate change and the challenges involved to tackle this problem. The UNFCCC and the Paris Agreement are committed to be science-based, but important countries and stakeholder deny the facts. The event will discuss the role of science for climate policy as well as different forms of scepticism and ways to address these.

Participants

Karl Eugen Hutmacher, Federal Ministry of Education and Research (BMBF)

Bernhard Pötter, (die tageszeitung, taz)

Susanne Dröge, German Institute for International and Security Affairs (SWP)

This event, organized by ADB, TERI, and WBGU, explores recent studies on climate impacts in Asia-Pacific, on urban transformations, and on decarbonization in India. We offer insights on how to contribute to the transformation to a low-emissions, resilient and inclusive future.

Speakers:

Bambang Susantono, Vice-President, ADB: A Region at Risk: The Human Dimensions of Climate Change in Asia and the Pacific

Both limiting global warming as required by the Paris Agreement and unabated climate change will require transformational change. However, besides climate change human kind is facing additional challenges. The Sustainable Development Goals provide an integrative approach for meeting human development goals while at the same time sustaining the ability of natural systems to provide the natural resources and ecosystem services upon which the economy and society depend.

Participants:

René Haak, Federal Ministry of Education and Research (BMBF)

John Schellnhuber, Potsdam Institute for Climate Impact Research (PIK) / German Advisory Council on Global Change (WBGU)